Metropol Tower Collapse; Ten Killed, Dozens Missing and Security Concerns in Abadan
Debris removal operations continue on Amiri Street in Abadan and the fate of dozens of people remains unclear. The Khuzestan Judiciary announced the arrest of 8 people involved in the building’s construction. The city’s atmosphere is tense and residents have beaten the mayor.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the collapsed Metropol tower, and the CEO of the Red Crescent in Khuzestan reports the discovery of three more bodies on the first floor of the building. Early Tuesday morning, June 23rd, the death toll was announced as ten people with 35 injured. Dozens of people, including construction workers, are still under the rubble.
Simultaneously, as the city faces turmoil and security concerns, Ahmad Vahidi, the Interior Minister, along with Mohsen Rezaei, the Economic Deputy to Ibrahim Raisi, entered Abadan to inspect the site.
Hours after the disaster, angry residents of Abadan beat Hassan Hamidpour, the mayor, who had issued permits for the Metropol twin tower despite numerous defects. Citizens hold a group of provincial and government officials responsible for the building’s collapse and have chanted slogans against them.
Ehsan Abaspour, the Special Governor of Abadan, warned of the possibility of complete structural collapse. He announced in a television interview that the building was under construction, but many social media users questioned how 10 shops on the ground floor were operating and who had issued permits for these stores.
According to a statement by Ali Dehghani, the Head of the Khuzestan Judiciary, eight people have been arrested and summoned, including the owner and contractor, project supervisors, and Abadan Municipality personnel.
However, local activists announced on social media that Hussein Abdolbaghi, the owner and builder of these towers, has gone into hiding, and rescue and debris removal operations are progressing slowly due to technical shortages.
After the partial collapse of the Metropol tower, ISNA news agency reported: “The Metropol twin tower complex was so poorly constructed that the main columns and bearing elements of the structure had settled and sagged. Images and videos circulated on social media showed this very thing. The owner had erected scaffolding around the project, which some claim was intended to conceal the project’s poor condition.”
Source: DW
